A Visalia parolee had big plans to celebrate America on July 4, but now he might be spending the holiday behind bars.

Officers with Visalia's Special Enforcement Unit were following up on an auto theft investigation Friday afternoon when they spotted the stolen vehicle in north Visalia.

The vehicle was parked in the front yard of a home in the 1900 block of East Houston Avenue, said Sgt. Randy Lentzner, who leads the unit.

The home is a familiar one to SEU officers. Ton Fow Saepharn — an active California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation parolee — lives at the home, Lentzner said.

With stolen property at the home, officers were able to do a parole search of the home.

Any parolee on release can be searched by a parole officer or law enforcement officer "at any time of the day or night, with or without a search warrant and with or without cause," according to the CDCR.

During the search, Lentzner said officers found evidence linking Saepharn, 34, to the stolen vehicle. They also found a stash of illegal fireworks, which could mean Seapharn will have to pay a hefty fine to the city in addition to serving jail time, if convicted.

Ton Fow Saepharn(Photo: Visalia Police Department)

Anyone caught with or setting off illegal fireworks will receive a $1,000 fine. A second offense within three years brings a $2,000 fine and a third violation brings a $3,000 price tag, which would remain for every violation thereafter.

Saepharn was questioned and later arrested. The stolen vehicle was returned to the registered owner, Lentzner said.

He was booked at the Tulare County Pretrial Facility on suspicion of auto theft and a parole violation.